Feb 28, 2025

(metamorworks/Shutterstock) It’s that time of month again–time for Big Data Career Notes, a monthly feature where we keep you up-to-date on the latest career developments for individuals in the big data community. Whether it’s a promotion, new company hire, or even an accolade, we’ve got the details. Check in each month for an updated list and you may even come across someone you know, or better yet, yourself! Emma McGrattan Actian has promoted longtime Ingres engineer Emma McGrattan into the role of chief technology officer. As CTO, McGrattan will lead the entire company’s technology strategy, including its product development and research agenda. Emma McGrattan McGrattan has been with the Actian organization for more than 32 years. A graduate of Dublin City University with an electronic engineering degree, she started her Actian career as a software engineer with ASK Group, the company that developed the Ingres relational database. Computer Associates bought ASK in 1994, and she stuck with the Ingres group in 2005, when CA spun it out into a new company called Ingres Corp. She stuck with the group again in 2011, when Ingres Corp. became Actian. During her 32-year ascent from associate engineer, McGrattan architected the company’s core analytics, data integration, and data management solutions, Actian says. “McGrattan’s technical vision has shaped Actian’s evolution from her early engineering roles through successive leadership positions,” it states. “Customers tell us their biggest concerns for AI initiatives are data quality and compliance, which is prompting organizations to rethink their traditional data strategies,” McGrattan says in a press release. “As CTO, I am focused on shaping Actian’s products to help customers easily access data and determine if it is fit for purpose by strengthening data governance, enhancing data quality, and ensuring data trustworthiness.” Scott Lewis and Matthew Lane Scott Lewis Ataccama made two executive appointments this month, including promoting Scott Lewis from senior VP of customers to chief customer officer (CCO), and promoting Matthew Lane from senior VP of global sales to chief revenue officer (CRO). The company, which develops data quality and data governance tools, is counting on both appointments to help drive sales in the age of AI. Matthew Lane “As I step into this new role, I’m ambitious to continue evolving the overall experience of our customers and the value we deliver to them,” Lewis said in a press release. “This includes augmenting our offerings with skills that will enable us to better partner with our customers and help solve more of the challenges they face every day.” “We have already started building a culture and GTM foundation that I am incredibly proud of,” Lane said in a press release, “and in this new position, I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to build on Ataccama’s solid foundations to ensure we are driving world class engagement with our partners and customers.” Navam Welihinda Navam Welihinda Today is the first day on the job at Elastic for Navam Welihinda, who recently joined the observability and analytics firm as chief financial officer. Welihinda joins Elastic from Grammarly, where he served as CFO and oversaw corporate finance and corporate develop. He also spent seven years at HashiCorp. (now a part of IBM), where he was also CFO. “Elastic has established itself as the leader in Search AI, delivering an extraordinary track record of growth and innovation,” Welihinda said in a press release. “The company’s pace of innovation, helping developers and enterprises prioritize innovation and efficiency across their businesses, using GenAI is impressive. I’m delighted to contribute to the ongoing success of our business as we move forward to our next chapter of growth.” Steven Hua Steven Hua Observo AI announced the appointment of Steven Hua as senior vice president of marketing. Hua, who has more than 20 years of enterprise technology experience at companies including ControlUp, ReliaQuest, BetterCloud, and MobileIron, will be tasked with spearheading the company’s drive to promote its brand of AI-powered data pipelines that autonomously optimize observability and security data. “Today’s enterprises need more than just data pipelines–they need intelligent infrastructure that thinks and adapts,” Hua said in a press release. “Our agentic AI platform represents a fundamental shift, where data pipelines become active participants in maintaining security and operational excellence, not just passive conduits. This autonomous intelligence turns data sprawl from a liability into a strategic asset.” Gene Reznik and Steven Yurisich Gene Reznik Thoughtworks also made two appointments this week, hiring Gene Reznik to be its chief strategy officer and Global Head of Service Lines, and Steven Yurisich to be its Asia Pacific regional managing director. Thoughtworks says both leaders will play “a crucial role in driving Thoughtworks’ strategy of applying AI-enabled software development and data engineering capabilities to help solve our clients’ most complex challenges.” Steven Yurisich “As we execute our 2025 plans and position Thoughtworks for the future, we’re building a strong leadership team and enhancing our capabilities to drive sustainable growth and market share expansion,” Thoughtworks CEO Mike Sutcliff said in a press release. “Gene and Steven bring extensive expertise and proven success in helping clients leverage technology effectively to improve their products, services and customer experiences.” Lynne Oldham Lynne Oldham Dataiku has appointed Lynne Oldham to the role of chief people officer. Oldham, who helped Zoom through its IPO as CPO, will lead human resources functions as Dataiku, which develops data science and analytics tools. Oldham is the latest addition to an executive team at Dataiku, which recently reported that it passed the $300 million mark for annual recurring revenue (ARR). In addition to Oldham, the past 18 months has seen the company bring on President Krish Venkataraman and Chief Revenue Officer Phil Coady. “I’m thrilled to join Dataiku at such a transformative time in its journey,” Oldham said in a press release. “My career has been shaped by guiding organizations through pivotal growth stages, from the hustle of hypergrowth to the careful transition into a public company. Along the way, I’ve always maintained a passion for aligning business goals with people’s aspirations to create cultures where both thrive. I look forward to working with the talented team at Dataiku to support its growth as well as its mission to help organizations worldwide unlock the full potential of AI.” Jon Pexton and  Steven Birdsall Jon Pexton Steven Birdsall new chief financial officer and Steven Birdsall to be its new chief revenue officer. Pexton joins Alteryx with more than 20 years of experience at several firms, including Tebra and UserTesting. Birdsall, meanwhile, brings more than 25 year of epxerince at compaines like Qlik, Oracle, Anaplan, and SAP. “I am thrilled to welcome Jon and Steven to the Alteryx team,” Alteryx CEO Andy MacMillan said in a press release. “Their expertise and leadership will help our customers scale efficiently and unlock new opportunities for long-term success.” Michael Hutchinson Mike Hutchinson Teradata has appointed Michael Hutchinson to be its new chief operating officer. Hutchinson first joined Teradata in June 2021 as senior VP of worldwide customer success, consulting, and renewals, and was promoted to chief customer officer in January 2022. As its new COO, he will now be in a role that puts him in charge global operations for the $2.3 billion analytics provider. “I’m thrilled to take on this new role at Teradata as we continue to execute our strategy as the hybrid Trusted AI platform at scale,” Hutchinson said in a press release. “I look forward to working with these teams in driving continuous improvements and ensuring our customers can achieve game-changing insights and breakthrough outcomes from their data.” Suresh Seshadri Suresh Seshadri, Anand Mehta, and Simon Quinton Fivetran announced three new executive roles at the company this month, including the appointment of Suresh Seshadri as chief financial officer (CFO), Anand Mehta as chief people officer (CPO), and Simon Quinton as general manager for EMEA. Anand Mehta Seshadri arrives at the ELT services vendor from OpenGov, where he was the CFO. Prior to OpenGov, Seshadri had roles at Freshworks, AppDynamics, VMware, and Microsoft. Mehta joins Fivetran from ID.me and Compass. Quinton joins with more than 20 years of experience at companies like Salesforce, Infor and SAP. “Strengthening our leadership team is key to accelerating innovation and delivering exceptional value to our customers,” Fivetran CEO George Fraser said in a press release. “These accomplished leaders bring unique expertise and perspectives that will be pivotal in driving the next phase of our growth and success.” Simon Quinton Brad Roberts ThoughtSpot has hired Brad Roberts to be its new chief financial officer. The BI and analytics company is counting on Roberts’ 30-plus years of experience to help it drive financial growth under Ketan Karkhanis, who was named ThoughtSpot’s new CEO back in September 2024 . Brad Roberts “ThoughtSpot is uniquely positioned to drive transformational change across customers using agentic AI for management insights and process efficiencies,” Roberts said in a press release. “The opportunity ahead enables us to evolve from a high-growth company into an industry-defining leader. To read last month’s edition of Career Notes, click here .